The Incredible Hull Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) Hi All, I’m very new to the forum, my name's David, hi everyone! I’ve always been a keen fisherman, not great at catching a whole lot of fish though. The only time I seem to catch fish is when I go with my cousin on his boat. So I recently bought my own small boat in which I quickly learnt… it does not mean you will automatically catch fish! It’s a nice small 2005 Quintrex Dory 420 WB with a 40hp Mercury, or should I say Tohatsu motor. I got the lot for 5k, what a bargin! Even came with a NAVMAN fish finder. Except the winch cables were rusty and I told my wife I’ll replace it sometime soon. Took it out 2 times with the family without any luck, so I thought I’d try a 3rd time with another keen fisherman mate of mine, and this time at night. Destination, Port Hacking – Lilli Pilli area (where my cousin takes me, but I have no idea where he goes, its pitch black and I don’t pay attention when I’m the passenger). Had a few sleepless nights waiting for Sunday 3am (high tide 6:30am), and finally the day has come. Since I was leaving at 3am, I put boat outside in my driveway the previous night, ready to shoot off without making too much noise and waking up the wife and daughter. Left at 3am on my way to pick up my mate, and it’s absolutely freezing cold; I’m wearing a few layers with a beanie and a big jacket. After picking him up, 30mins prior to arrival my mate took travel calm ginger as he gets motion sickness very easily. It got a bit hot in the car so I took off my beanie. 4am - We reach the boat ramp, very excited. Lowered boat in water and managed to get half of my pants wet even though I folded them up, damn! My mate pulled the boat over to the dock area while I park the car. I eventually get back, hop into the boat and try to start the motor, and here’s when the real action started.... I felt my shoes were wet, which was odd as I took them off earlier when launching the boat. It was very dark, grabbed my torch only find water was entering the boat! It was leaking! “Dude there’s a leak, get out quickly!” I said “I’m so sure I put back in the bung holes when I cleaned it last.” “Could someone have undone it in your driveway? Nah it’s a quiet neighborhood” So I quickly grabbed my car and drove down, only to find another vessel was coming out... so I waited patiently for about 10-15 minutes... and they were taking ages omg!.... at this point the boat was half filled of water. I ran out of patience and approached/asked the guys to speed up as my boat is sinking. Another 10-15 minutes later, I get my trailer in the water ready to pull up the boat and check the leak. Managed to manually pull the boat half way up the trailer. I then pulled the winch cable out, hooked it on and started to wind. As I was winding, it did feel a little harder than usual and my winch cable is very rusty. I kept winding as I had no choice, no way could I pull that up with all that water, then... boooom! Winch cable snapped! My heart sank. Both my mate and I knew our night was over. We quickly grabbed the boat before it could slide back, and tied ropes to it. After securing the ropes, I slowly drove up and as the boat came out of the water, both bung holes were open and the water began to pour out. 4:30ish - We both stood there, watching the water pour out. In a way, I was glad it was the bung holes. I mean if it wasn’t, that means I have an actual hole somewhere under the boat. As the water was draining, I told my mate, that we could easily pull the boat up ourselves without a winch... he said “are you sure???” “Yer it’s easy, the boat is light” so we undid the ropes, got back in the water, parked the car, started the motor, and we were off!! Our night is beginning! On the way to the destination, I constantly check for leaks, really paranoid at this stage. Funny enough, both of us cannot swim and we didn’t think to put on our life jackets. 5am - Finally got to our destination, just outside of Little Turriell Bay, fishing finally started. My wife texts me “Any fish?” I reply with “Haven’t started yet”. I started the berley trail, got a couple of nibbles here and there but no solid strikes. I’m freezing my balls off, and couldn't find my beanie (I think I left it in the car). To add to that half of my pants were wet, and my socks were wet too due to launching the boat 2 times. My mate caught an under sized snapper about 15cm, threw it back. About an hour passes by, getting some sunlight now, it’s about 6am. My mate starts getting motion sickness, so we decided head back as he feels like shit. I'm sure he was grateful, but I myself didn't mind. I had no beanie and my legs and feet were icy cold. Got the boat on the trailer ok, tied 2 ropes to the front end along with the chain. On the way home, I stopped about 4 times to check the boat and trailer (was paranoid), however all looks ok. 7am - My friend is now feeling much better now. So what do you do if you get sick in the sea but still keen? You fish on land, literally. See pic! (My mate took the photo of me!) We fished at Milperra Bridge. So here we are, 2 guys, a car and a boat, fishing on a river on land... We saw some guy on a boat float passed us; I wonder what he was thinking! We were only there for about 15minutes, had snack there as well. I grabbed my bottle of water from the boat, and it was mighty salty… “Oh yer the boat flooded dude” haha. 7:30am – my wife texts me again “Having fun?” and I reply with “You have no idea, words cannot explain the action packed night…” To add to this whole disaster, the little lever on the trailer which is at the handle where it sits on the tow bar…. The lever which secures on the tow bar ball…. Was not in the whole trip…. It was in but sitting on top of the part where you pad lock it, so it was as if I put the trailer on the tow bar and as I was lowering it on… I released the lever too early when I let it down. Thank god it didn’t bounce off… 10am - Later on I purchase a whole new winch system to replace the old one, and after removing the old winch, the bolts don’t line up! Took my old winch to the shops to check, the bolt holes do not line up with any other winches, which means my winch was not standard! So no way was I going down the path of drill new holes, I don’t have the equipment for that, decided to buy the cable alone. Found a new winch cable and replaced the old one, new gear always looks beautiful. Why didn’t I do that in the first place! Sprayed it with White Knight fish oil. She’s ready and good to go again! What a day... I have learnt so much to say the least.... till the next adventure.... Edited May 26, 2011 by dpham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman36 Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Mate.... Welcome to fishraider. A few lessons learned to say the least! At least you both got out of it safely and the boat is ok. Always check and double check the bungs when you are at the ramp. I wear boardies under my long pants, that way if I think Im gonna get wet, I take my long pants off, throw them in the boat, and launch it in my boardies. I find launching you should be able to do without getting wet, retreival is sometimes a little trickier, it just takes practice. Would have been a funny sight looking at the pics with you standing in the back of the boat on dry land! Anyway, these are all things you'll definately remember next time. Good luck, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil D Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 lol running up sand bars are my speciality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednet Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 (edited) Dont worry we all go through trouble when owning our first boat. Just makes us more careful in the future. About that travel calm ginger, I tried it once and it did not suit me at all. I was sea sick the whole time out and to boot wasnt feeling well after the trip as well. You need to find one that suits you, dont just try anything that you grabbed on the way to fishing. Bad luck about your trip, but look forward to your future trips! Good times to be had, Edited May 15, 2011 by Rednet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongrass18ft Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 Hi All, I’m very new to the forum, my name's David, hi everyone! I’ve always been a keen fisherman, not great at catching a whole lot of fish though. The only time I seem to catch fish is when I go with my cousin on his boat. So I recently bought my own small boat in which I quickly learnt… it does not mean you will automatically catch fish! It’s a nice small 2005 Quintrex Dory 420 WB with a 40hp Mercury, or should I say Tohatsu motor. I got the lot for 5k, what a bargin! Even came with a NAVMAN fish finder. Except the winch cables were rusty and I told my wife I’ll replace it sometime soon. Took it out 2 times with the family without any luck, so I thought I’d try a 3rd time with another keen fisherman mate of mine, and this time at night. Destination, Port Hacking – Lilli Pilli area (where my cousin takes me, but I have no idea where he goes, its pitch black and I don’t pay attention when I’m the passenger). Had a few sleepless nights waiting for Sunday 3am (high tide 6:30am), and finally the day has come. Since I was leaving at 3am, I put boat outside in my driveway the previous night, ready to shoot off without making too much noise and waking up the wife and daughter. Left at 3am on my way to pick up my mate, and it’s absolutely freezing cold; I’m wearing a few layers with a beanie and a big jacket. After picking him up, 30mins prior to arrival my mate took travel calm ginger as he gets motion sickness very easily. It got a bit hot in the car so I took off my beanie. 4am - We reach the boat ramp, very excited. Lowered boat in water and managed to get half of my pants wet even though I folded them up, damn! My mate pulled the boat over to the dock area while I park the car. I eventually get back, hop into the boat and try to start the motor, and here’s when the real action started.... I felt my shoes were wet, which was odd as I took them off earlier when launching the boat. It was very dark, grabbed my torch only find water was entering the boat! It was leaking! “Dude there’s a leak, get out quickly!” I said “I’m so sure I put back in the bung holes when I cleaned it last.” “Could someone have undone it in your driveway? Nah it’s a quiet neighborhood” So I quickly grabbed my car and drove down, only to find another vessel was coming out... so I waited patiently for about 10-15 minutes... and they were taking ages omg!.... at this point the boat was half filled of water. I ran out of patience and approached/asked the guys to speed up as my boat is sinking. Another 10-15 minutes later, I get my trailer in the water ready to pull up the boat and check the leak. Managed to manually pull the boat half way up the trailer. I then pulled the winch cable out, hooked it on and started to wind. As I was winding, it did feel a little harder than usual and my winch cable is very rusty. I kept winding as I had no choice, no way could I pull that up with all that water, then... boooom! Winch cable snapped! My heart sank. Both my mate and I knew our night was over. We quickly grabbed the boat before it could slide back, and tied ropes to it. After securing the ropes, I slowly drove up and as the boat came out of the water, both bung holes were open and the water began to pour out. 4:30ish - We both stood there, watching the water pour out. In a way, I was glad it was the bung holes. I mean if it wasn’t, that means I have an actual hole somewhere under the boat. As the water was draining, I told my mate, that we could easily pull the boat up ourselves without a winch... he said “are you sure???” “Yer it’s easy, the boat is light” so we undid the ropes, got back in the water, parked the car, started the motor, and we were off!! Our night is beginning! On the way to the destination, I constantly check for leaks, really paranoid at this stage. Funny enough, both of us cannot swim and we didn’t think to put on our life jackets. 5am - Finally got to our destination, just outside of Little Turriell Bay, fishing finally started. My wife texts me “Any fish?” I reply with “Haven’t started yet”. I started the berley trail, got a couple of nibbles here and there but no solid strikes. I’m freezing my balls off, and couldn't find my beanie (I think I left it in the car). To add to that half of my pants were wet, and my socks were wet too due to launching the boat 2 times. My mate caught an under sized snapper about 15cm, threw it back. About an hour passes by, getting some sunlight now, it’s about 6am. My mate starts getting motion sickness, so we decided head back as he feels like shit. I'm sure he was grateful, but I myself didn't mind. I had no beanie and my legs and feet were icy cold. Got the boat on the trailer ok, tied 2 ropes to the front end along with the chain. On the way home, I stopped about 4 times to check the boat and trailer (was paranoid), however all looks ok. 7am - My friend is now feeling much better now. So what do you do if you get sick in the sea but still keen? You fish on land, literally. See pic! (My mate took the photo of me!) We fished at Milperra Bridge. So here we are, 2 guys, a car and a boat, fishing on a river on land... We saw some guy on a boat float passed us; I wonder what he was thinking! We were only there for about 15minutes, had snack there as well. I grabbed my bottle of water from the boat, and it was mighty salty… “Oh yer the boat flooded dude” haha. 7:30am – my wife texts me again “Having fun?” and I reply with “You have no idea, words cannot explain the action packed night…” To add to this whole disaster, the little lever on the trailer which is at the handle where it sits on the tow bar…. The lever which secures on the tow bar ball…. Was not in the whole trip…. It was in but sitting on top of the part where you pad lock it, so it was as if I put the trailer on the tow bar and as I was lowering it on… I released the lever too early when I let it down. Thank god it didn’t bounce off… 10am - Later on I purchase a whole new winch system to replace the old one, and after removing the old winch, the bolts don’t line up! Took my old winch to the shops to check, the bolt holes do not line up with any other winches, which means my winch was not standard! So no way was I going down the path of drill new holes, I don’t have the equipment for that, decided to buy the cable alone. Found a new winch cable and replaced the old one, new gear always looks beautiful. Why didn’t I do that in the first place! Sprayed it with White Knight fish oil. She’s ready and good to go again! What a day... I have learnt so much to say the least.... till the next adventure.... Milperra Bridge fishing: What do you do when you get sea sick? Fish on land! Classic ,mate you deserved a full eskey load of fish after all that. Don,t worry about leaving bungs out as most of us did it when we started out but you should of just screwed them in and pumped/bailed water out . One thing you should look into though is your trailer wheel bearings as alot of people come un stuck not keeping them in good order,hope the next trip goes smooth For sea sickness have your mate take kwell sea sick pills and he should be fine. chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiNH Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 There was no way we could have plug up the bungs and bailed water out because the boat was already in deep water and it wasnt possible to reach the bung holes within the boat without going into the drink. It was an eventful night indeed and looking back we can laugh at it, but at the time it could have gone either way for the boat due to the delay we had to wait for the other boat ahead of us to get out of the way do we could drive the trailer down the ramp. It really sux BIG time to have a good mate with a new boat and I suffer badly from motion sickness! spewing!!!!!! in both sense of context! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Thanks for the responses! I got another newbie question.... When we anchored, the rear of the boat was not pointing in the direction of the current, whats up with that! (Anchored from the front) I have almost 2 meters of chain on my anchor, and I'm sure it hit the bottom. Any tips\suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabble Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Sounds like one of those fishing trips, we all have them. I say this in the best way possible mate but if your new to boating you owe it to your family, friends and anyone who goes on your boat to learn how to swim. I can honestly say that if your boating its only a matter of time before you or a passenger or all of you end up in the water at some point in your boating life. It happens all the time even to really experienced boaties and usually it results in a couple of uncomfortable people but if you cant swim it could end up alot worse. All the best next time out. BTW if you anchor in a current sometimes the wind is stronger and can swing you the other way. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 (edited) Yer I been meaning to have swimming lessons with my daughter, just haven't got around to organising it. However definitely will do it. I have 2 fears in life, public speaking and drowning! But most importantly, I'll put on my life jacket. When I take the family out, I always make sure they to put on their life jackets. Edited May 16, 2011 by dpham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryboy Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Great story, and good on you for spilling it to the FR community! My theory is that there are two types of boaties: 1. The guys who have forgotten to put the bungs in at some time or another 2. The guys who havent forgotten to put the bungs in - yet! Gotta agree about the swimming lessons. Just for interest I went fishing with 'Framed trash' a couple of months ago - hes a very experienced fisho - and he went overboard off my boat at 4am in the harbour due to a slip.. You just never expect it. About the public speaking - its funny that 90% of people rate public speaking as their worst fear, even worse than death. Which if you put it into practical terms, 90% of people at a funeral would rather be in the box than giving the Eulogy! Look into Toastmasters if you want to tackle that issue... Fryboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keflapod Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Hi dpham, What a wonderful thing is experience. It happens to all of us at some point. The important thing to note is that: 1. no-one was injured in the potential sinking at sea issue AND 2. no-one was hurt if the trailer came off the car at speed AND 3. you learnt a very valuable and cheap lesson 4. the hacking is a tricky waterway for a newbie to fish successfully Fishing is a wonderful thing once we get our procedures and equipment sorted out. It allows us to focus more on our fishing techniques and catch fish. Then we evolve into appreciating the beauty of the environment and take in the therapeutic effect of the situation. Stay with it, learn quick and learn well and by the time summer comes around, you'll be jumping out of your skin to launch the boat and have a fish.... ..but not before checking the bungs.... I'm just waiting for the day a boat manufacturer invents a BUNG-O-Meter that alarms you if the bungs are not in. We could all use them from time-to-time.... Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedonist Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Hey dpham, Dont worry about it mate, you're not the first to experience that! I myself did it the first time i launched my newly acquired boat back in 2008, over at kissing point boat ramp. I don't think i need to explain the embarrasment i felt from everybody watching all this water pour out of the bung holes, while other dudes were launching their boats... (this was at like 2 or 3pm on a very sunny afternoon). I'll tell you what though - I've never launched the boat again without double checking that the bungs are all screwed in!! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Get The Net Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Hi your trip sounds very familiar, when we go fishing now we call it a adventure as you always have a story about something. See your at the ramp one day, I know it will be you as you will always check the bungs twice from now on, I do Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadavu Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 At least you got the boat out of the water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cut_loose Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Unbelievable luck but it's good to see you have a good sense of rumor and had abit of fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvbigfish Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 what a great read thanks for sharing, im sure your outings will only get better , good luck in the future! cheers paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aero.gard Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Boys silly silly go and get swimming lesions. On the water and you can't swimm that's just asking for trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longy Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Great story, hard lessons learnt, but at least no one was hurt and nothing got damaged. Always check and double check the bung is in (don't think it was put in - be sure it's in), same with tow ball, making sure it's sitting fully down plus putting a padlock into the hole will insure it's in properly. And try to do day trips to learn the surrounding area before doing night trips, even then things looks very different at night when you can make out landmarks. Otherwise it seems you got a great package for $5k, hope you have alot more success on your next trip (try to have a exp fisho with you onboard). Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodgey Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Mate sounds like you should send this in as a script for US fishing guru Bill Dance. Check his clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_BLggf-mqs More than 35 years filming fishing and outdoor shows, Bill has certainly had his fair share of blooper out takes! Bloopers 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 Mate sounds like you should send this in as a script for US fishing guru Bill Dance. Check his clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_BLggf-mqs LOL I'm not really clumsy, just forgetful =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKing Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hi dpham, What a wonderful thing is experience. It happens to all of us at some point. The important thing to note is that: 1. no-one was injured in the potential sinking at sea issue AND 2. no-one was hurt if the trailer came off the car at speed AND 3. you learnt a very valuable and cheap lesson 4. the hacking is a tricky waterway for a newbie to fish successfully Fishing is a wonderful thing once we get our procedures and equipment sorted out. It allows us to focus more on our fishing techniques and catch fish. Then we evolve into appreciating the beauty of the environment and take in the therapeutic effect of the situation. Stay with it, learn quick and learn well and by the time summer comes around, you'll be jumping out of your skin to launch the boat and have a fish.... ..but not before checking the bungs.... I'm just waiting for the day a boat manufacturer invents a BUNG-O-Meter that alarms you if the bungs are not in. We could all use them from time-to-time.... Tony BUNG-O-Meter It is very simple thing to install in your boat. Install one Bilge Pump Float Switch and one buzzer in your boat. As soon as if there is water the Float Switch will switch on your Bilge Pump and trigger the buzzer warning you there is water in your boat and you can take corrective action. Though it is simple still If you need any more details how to connect it all let me know. Have fun BigKing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Hammond Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Mate sounds like you should send this in as a script for US fishing guru Bill Dance. Check his clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_BLggf-mqs Thanks Rads, you just made my day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keflapod Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 BUNG-O-Meter It is very simple thing to install in your boat. Install one Bilge Pump Float Switch and one buzzer in your boat. As soon as if there is water the Float Switch will switch on your Bilge Pump and trigger the buzzer warning you there is water in your boat and you can take corrective action. Though it is simple still If you need any more details how to connect it all let me know. Have fun BigKing Hi Bigking, yes good idea, so long as the battery isolation switch is switched on before you launch. I was just kidding about the bung-o-meter. My best practice is that I only ever undo them after a trip to see if I had any water ingress during the trip then I put them back in again. I don't have to worry about someone stealing the bungs because I'm lucky enough to have a lockup garage that can take my 5.7m platey hardtop. Yet I STILL check them before I launch, at the time I'm undoing the tiedowns.....force of habit..... Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman36 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I carry a spare set of bungs in the car. Along with all the spares I carry, wheel bearings, tools to change them, 2 stroke oil, grease, etc, etc, etc, I almost need a second vehicle just as a support car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKing Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi bung-o-meter is only an idea for someone who wants to implement it. My thumb rule is I never undo the strap without double checking the bungs. And before retrieval dirve off Check the Motor is up. Thanks BigKing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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